Wanakita

In Grade Eleven, the pressure mounts, the workload increases, and by the end of the first semester in January, all the students and staff really deserve a break. Thus, in Grade 11, we have the annual Grade 11 trip to the Wanakita YMCA camp, in the Haliburton Highlands, for five days.

Here, students will rediscover Canadian winter by engaging in a variety of fun activities ranging from learning the techniques of cross-country ski to hiking in the snow to singing around a campfire.

And, for all those who are willing, students can also build and sleep in their very own quinzees for a night. A quinzee is essentially a snow hut and a shelter. It is similar to an igloo. Spending the night in a quinzee can be an exhilarating experience. The other nights will see students sleeping in cabins, which, thankfully, are kept quite warm.

At Wanakita, there are team-building activities as well. These include the 'Low and High Ropes' courses, which are always quite interesting when they're done in the freezing cold, and the 'Cardboard-and-Duct-Tape-Toboggan' building contest, which is the stuff of legends!

At the end of the day, students kick off their shoes and watch a movie, eat a snack, then get some sleep. The overall experience is both relaxing and exhilarating, and is the perfect break from the rigors of Grade 11.